3 Tips on Choosing a Great Promotional Products

I am often asked what's new in promotional products. While it's exciting to be on the cutting edge of something, new doesn't always mean effective for all industries and companies.

There are several other factors to consider when choosing the right promotional product for your campaign.  Here are a few things that should be considered before jumping on the "newest" promotional product.

Who is your target audience?

You want to be sure that your item will be used by the recipient.  This helps to ensure staying power and increases the number of times your recipient will see your logo and be reminded of your product or service. For example, if your client base is focused on environmentally friendly efforts and renewable energy, giving them items that are made from recycled materials would make a great impression.  This Bamboo Stripe Desktop Pen Cup would be prominently displayed on the recipients desk and seen day after day!

Will the item create the desired effect?

Many companies are working with small budgets.  Value quality over quantity when choosing an item to represent your brand.  Screen printed tshirts are a great example of this.  There are many low cost tshirt options available but will it actually get worn?  Handing out tshirts that will shrink or twist after a couple of washes won't do any good in the long run.  Next Level offers a great line of stylish tshirts, just ensure you are working with a printer that understands how to print on some of the new types of fabric that are available.

Think about the recipient
If you are distributing items at a trade show or conference where many people will likely travel to get there, be sure to keep this in mind when choosing your giveaway item.  Avoid bulky, large or breakable items that will be difficult to put in a suitcase or carry-on. Reusable tote bags are a great giveaway at tradeshows.  It is very likely that your logo will be seen all around the showroom floor as you hand them to attendees and they are put to use right away.

Stitch to My Lue Promotions, LLC is here to help you create effective campaigns that will put your marketing dollars to work with items that are useful and memorable. Visit our website and schedule your consultation today!

Made in America

Merchandise Your Brand

Are you looking for creative affordable solutions to market your brand?  Tired of spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars on traditional marketing and are unsure if its even working?

Branded merchandise is a great way to thank your current customer base AND get them talking with other people about your amazing service or products.  Imagine each of your customers becoming a brand ambassador for your company.

These items are also great for Facebook contests and other social media giveaways!  If you are scheduled to appear at a conference to host a live event, offer a free tshirt to the first 10 people that arrive and "check in" via Facebook or Foursquare.

Be unique!  There are thousands of items to choose from.  Everything from tshirts and hats to useful technology related gadgets like a card holder that attaches to your phone (shown below).

 Branded merchandise can be an additional revenue stream for your business but is most successful when viewed as a form of advertising.  If you need to ensure you recover the expense tied to these items, work their cost into an upcoming promotion or product launch. 

One of the most important points to consider when merchandising your brand is the quality of the items you choose!  You've worked hard to prove your level of customer service and product quality is top notch, so don't discredit your reputation by giving away items that are poor quality which would leave someone with the wrong impression of your company.

Once you've decided to venture into branded merchandise, be sure to partner with a company that can consistently deliver great customer service and quality products.

At Stitch to My Lue Promotions, LLC, we've developed relationships with manufacturers that have a proven track record in delivering items on time and typically exceeding your expectations.  We take the necessary steps up front by delivering random samples and many times production samples with your logo to ensure your satisfaction.

We view ourselves as a true business partner, our goal is to not only produce the items you've requested but to constantly be aware of new items and consumer trends that would make sense for your business.  We are always looking for new and affordable items that will build your brand through your current customers and prospects.

To schedule a free consultation, contact us today or browse through thousands of ideas here!

Vector Art: What It Is and Why We Need It

The secret to a great looking logo on promotional items or screen printed tshirts is all in the art.  Many images are developed for web use which typically require a JPG or bitmap (BMP) style image.  These images are stored as a series of dots, called pixels.  When you zoom into the image, you can see the individual pixels that create the image. 

When these images are being used to create screen printed items such as tshirts, tote bags or other promotional items a vector format is required.  Vector images are composed of paths, or lines, that are either straight or curved which allow for a much cleaner and smoother printed image because they are are not made of pixels.  Vector images can also be scaled to any size without concern of the image becoming "blocky" or pixelated in appearance.

When you start working on your promotional item projects be sure to verify art requirements before submitting proof approval to avoid any disappointments in the final production of your items.  Requirements do vary depending on what type of product you are imprinting and the method of printing that will be used.

We have a team of graphic artists available to work with virtually any image (JPG or even hand drawn image) to prepare the file for use in screen printing, promotional items and embroidered images.  This service is available for a minimal cost.  We keep all art on file for future projects so you don't have to worry about keeping track of the correct file formats!

Importance of Functional Promotional Items

Promotional products are an effective way to make hundreds or even thousands of impressions at a very low cost per.  These impressions are obviously gained with the recipient but many times they are also seen by those around them.

Choosing the right product for your company comes down to your available budget, determining the message you want to convey and how you will get the product into the hands of your recipient.

When I work with clients to create promotional campaigns, I always stress to choose items that will be viewed as functional by the recipient.  This is the best way to ensure that it will be seen on a regular basis or passed on to a friend or relative which will further your exposure.

Some of the most functional items available today are in the tech world.  As reported in a recent article on arstechnica.com, more than 90% of Americans use cell phones.  This is a very useful fact for companies that are looking for creative and functional ways to implement promotional campaigns in their business.  Choose from stylus items, cling screen cleaners, USB charges or even USB power banks that can recharge a phone without an outlet.  These items range in cost from under $1, which are great for general giveaways and branding, to items that cost about $20 each, these higher end items are great for client or employee appreciation gifts.

It's important to remember the key objective in promotional marketing that is to create an emotion in your recipient, this is what creates the memory of the item and where they received it.

For more information on how to use promotional items effectively in your company, contact us.  We would love to partner with you to increase your market share!